OSSETIC LANGUAGE Meaning and
Definition
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Ossetic language refers to the Indo-European language spoken primarily by the Ossetic people in the region known as Ossetia, which is divided between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Georgia. It belongs to the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian language family, specifically classified as part of the Northeastern Iranian subgroup. Ossetic is closely related to other Iranian languages such as Persian, Pashto, and Kurdish.
The Ossetic language has two major dialects: Iron and Digor. The Iron dialect is spoken primarily in North Ossetia-Alania, a republic in the Russian Federation, while the Digor dialect is spoken in South Ossetia, a region claimed by both Russia and Georgia. These two dialects have cooperative literary traditions and share a high degree of mutual intelligibility.
Ossetic language is written using the Cyrillic script, although before the Soviet era, it was written with a Perso-Arabic script. This language has a rich literary tradition, with texts dating back as early as the 11th century. The majority of Ossetic speakers are bilingual, with Russian or Georgian as their second language.
Ossetic language holds significant historical and cultural importance due to its ties to the Alanic people, an ancient Iranian-speaking tribe that played a significant role during the migration period and in the early medieval era. It also serves as an important cultural symbol for the Ossetic community, strengthening their sense of identity and heritage.
Etymology of OSSETIC LANGUAGE
The etymology of the word "Ossetic" can be traced back to the Ossetians, an ethnic group that primarily resides in the region of Ossetia in the Caucasus Mountains, which spans across the present-day borders of Russia (North Ossetia-Alania) and Georgia (South Ossetia). The Ossetic language, also known as Ossetian, is the language spoken by the Ossetians.
The word "Ossetic" itself is derived from the Russian word "осетинский" (osetinskiy), which is the adjective form of "Осетия" (Osetiya), meaning Ossetia. This Russian term was likely adopted from the original Ossetic term for their land, and it subsequently became the term used in English and various other languages to describe the language and the people.
